Apparatus for the manufacture of seats and backs for chairs and like furniture.



E. E. PECK. APPARATUS FOR THE NIANUFACTURE 0F SEATS AND BACKS FOR CHAIRS AND LIKE FURNITURE.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6.19m.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

Patented July 24, 1917..

E. E. PECK. APPARATUS FOR THE ATANUFACTUTTE of SEATS Am) S-AcAs Foa CHAIRS AND LIK FURNITURE.'

Mienied July 24, 1917.

2 sHEETS-SHEET 2.

'uur

H/S A TTOR/l/EYS AIE@ EDI/[UND E. PECK, OF GRAND VIEW, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO S. KARPEN & BROS., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A GORIORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF SEATS AND BACKS FOR CHAIRS ANI) LIKE FURNITURE.

all 'whom t may concern Be 1t known that I, EDMUND E. IEcx, a citizen of the United States, residing at yGrand View on I'Iudson, in the county of Rockland and State of New York, have invented an Improvement in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Seats and Backs for Chairs and like Furniture, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for making upholstered seats and backs for chairs and like furniture, and particularly to certain improvements upon the apparatus for this purpose disclosed in Letters-Patent No. 1,140,846, granted me May th, 1916.

rIhe objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, and the novel features will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

`The details of construction and operation of my present invention are hereinafter more particularly described.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view, partly in elevation and partly in section, showing my invention and illustrating the parts in position occupied when the seat has been pressed to shape.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the shaper or matrix.

Fig. 3 is a detail view in vertical section through the matrix and presser frame, the latter being elevated from the former.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken as indicated on the broken line 4, 4, of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged perspective of a corner of the seat after the cover has been tacked to the bottom.

Fig. 6 is an inverted plan showing the cor ner of a seat after the attachment of the cover to the bottom has been completed.

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the presser frame, and Fig. 8 illustrates a modification in the attachment of the flexible bands to the matrix, the latter being in section.

Similar reference numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views. 10, 11, 12, and 13, represent the supporting frame.

14, indicates the shaper or matrix which rests upon the horizontal bottom member 10, of the frame.

This matrix has a contour in accordance with the shape of the seat or back desired to be produced, and it may be of any suitable Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 24, 1917.

Application led September 6, 1916. Serial No. 118,565.

material, but is preferably made of wood. It consists exteriorly of a flat bottom, with vertical side, front and back walls. The bottom preferably extends slightly beyond the exterior of these walls.

The inner surface of, in this instance, the four side walls of the matrix are concaved or curved toward the center of the bottom, and in each of the four corners there is formed a radially disposed groove 15. Over each groove is positioned a pad or cover 16, preferably formed of leatheror which may be of any other desired flexible material, the pads being secured in position by any desired means and each extending laterally beyond the edges of the groove it covers. Within each groove 15 I may insert a packing of soft springy material, felt being preferred. Such packings I have designated as 17. (See Fig. 4.)

The top surfaces of the walls are preferably provided at intervals with spaced transverse grooves or recesses 18, to receive in this instance rubber strips of elastic fabric 19, which are stretched across the top of the matrix from front to back and from side to side, thus crossing and interlacing each other, their ends being turned over said walls and secured to the outer surfaces thereof by tacks or in any suitable way.

20, indicates four flexible flaps, attached along one edge to the tops of the respective walls of the matrix over the elastic material 19, and extending some distance inwardly from said walls over and resting upon the top of said elastic strips. These strips and flaps combine to form a support for the covering material of the upholstery.

While I prefer that the strips 19, be made of rubber or elastic fabric, they may be made of any flexible material (elastic or otherwise) such as leather or thin metal,A in which latter case, to enable them to yield, instead of their ends being secured directly to the outer surface of the matrix, I employ rods 39, extending parallel with the sides of the matrix over which the ends of the strips are turned and secured, and springs 40, one end of each of which is secured to said rods while the other end is fastened to the outer surface of the matrix as illustrated in Fig. 8. In this instance, when pressure is applied to the said strips over the tcp of the matrix, the springs 40, are contracted allowing the strips to bend to conform to the interior shape of the matrix, as shown in dotted lines in said Fig. 8, and when the pressure is relieved, the springs Ll0, expand drawing the strips back into their normal horizontal position. in other words7 the strips 19 may be of non-elastic material and yieldingly supported.

21, designates a clamping-frame of a shape corresponding to the shape of the top of the matrix. Secured to the outer surface of rthis frame 21, and extending` below the bottom thereof are spaced cleatsy 22. lllhen t-lie clamping frame is placed upon the top of the matrix 1K1, these cleats lie against the outer surface of the walls of the matrix and hold the frame in its proper position.

23, indicates the seat bottom preferably of wood and provided with an outer flange 24, and central opening 25.

Then seats or backs without metal springs are to be made, this opening in the seat is preferably covered by a thin piece of board or other suitable material as shown in my vsaid patent, but where spiral metallic springs 26, for the seat or back are employed as shown in the present case, a piece of flexible material 27, is preferably made use of to prevent the springs pressing directly into the cushioning material 2S.

The frame 29 to which the springs 26 are .secured is attached to the seat bottom in any suitable way so that the springs are located within the central opening 25 of the seat and bear against the piece of flexible material 27.

30, designates a presser frame having central opening 31 corresponding in shape with and as large or larger than the central opening 25, in the seat bottom 9.3.

32., is a cross-beam secured at each end to the top of the presser frame 30, and located centrally thereof.

33, indicates an elongated screw.

The horizontal top member 11 of the supporting frame has a vertical opening rthrough it centrally of the upright members 12, and 13, of said frame.

34e. indicates a boss on the underside of the frame member 11. This boss has a central screw-threaded hole in alinement with the opening in the member 11.

35, is a bushing in the upper part of the opening in the frame member 11 which bushing is interiorly screw-threaded;

rlhe screw 33, operates within the screwt-hreaded holes in the bushing 35, and the boss 34.

36, is a hand bar fastened to the upper end of the screw and 'by which the screw is rotated.

37, indicates the cover for the seat or back. which cover is of leather or other suitable flexible material.

In making a seat the matrix is placed upon the supporting frame member 10, centrally between the two upright members 1:2, and 13, and directly under and in aliiiement with the screw Vthe flexible cover 37, is then placed over the top of' the matrix 111, resting upon the flaps 20, and supported in al horizontal position by the elastic material or bands 19.`

The frame 21, is then 'placed in position, thus clamping the edges of the flexible cover 37, between it and the top walls of the matrix, the side walls of the frame forming :1; receptacle lfor the cushioning material '23, which is then laid upon the flexible cover.

The seat bottom is then placed upon the cushioning` material and the presserv frame 30, is placed upon the bottom. The screw 33, is then rotated so that its lower end is brought into contact with the top of the cross beam 32, when. by continuing the rotation of the screw, the parts are pressed into the relative positions shown in Fig. 1. 141s the seat bottom is pressed down into the matrix, the yieldinQv support, composed of the flaps and strips, expands0 the flexible flaps 20, greatly aiding in causing such expansion to be uniform on all sides, while the flexible upholstering cover is stretched gradually and uniformly from each side of the matrix without danger of tearing the edges which are only clamped by the frame 21, with sufficient tension to hold the cover uni-l formly on all sides while pressure is beine` applied. Y d

Alluring this operation the flexible cover at each corner of the seat and the pads above the radial grooves 15 are forced down into Ehe latter, in the interior of the matrix, thus forming crimps or folds 38 in the cover at such points, tightly drawing the material and giving smooth and evenly rounded corners to the seat. The pads 16, present a flexible bearing or support for the outer Surface of the cover and over each groove while under pressurej and aid in keeping the surface of the cover smooth and uniform.

After the scat has been pressed down into the position shown in Fig. l of the drawings, the clamping frame il, is lifted off the matrix 14 which gives free opportunity for the workmen to fold over the ec ges of the flexible cover upon the flange 24C, of the seat bottom Q3, where such edges are secured in any suitable manner, preferably b v tacks. The tacked over edge of the cover is illustiated most clearly in Figs. 5 audfti. ln Fig. 5. the projecting ends of folds 33. formed in the corners of the cover areI shown, but as soon as the cover has been tacked or secured over the flange of the scat bottom, these projecting ends of the folds 33 are cut off by hand with a sharp knife, leaving the corners of the seat as illustrated in Fig. G.

The seat isnow completed7 and the screw 53,` is Vthen rotated in the reverse direction suliiciently to allow for the removal of the pre. er frame 50, after which the completed seat Withdrawn from the matrix, and the same operation is repeated upon another seat.

The supporting frame may be of any desired length so that a number of these devices may be arranged thereon adjacent each other but I do not Want to be limited to'the exact construction of this frame, as it Will be readily understood that it may be of any character presenting supports for the matrix and screw in proper relative positions.

The pads support the upholstering cover and its supports throughout the dimensions of the former. The flaps 2O being formed in sections, the edges of which occur above the radial grooves, become spaced farther apart as they are depressed by the plunger or presser. The flexible upholstering cover at such pointstherefore, are only supported by the pads, and they are forced some distance into the radial grooves, the pads acting to reinforce the cover at these points. Thus the upholstering cover is not subjected to undue strain over the edges of the grooves. By the insertion of a springy packing in the bottom of each groove l5 the pads are prevented from becoming stuck in the grooves.

I claim as my invention:

l. In an upholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix having a radial groove in each corner of its interior, flexible yielding strips extending across the top of said matrix and connected thereto, a superimposed clamping-frame, a presser-frame, and means for operating said presser-frame.

E2. In an upholstcring apparatus, the combination of a matrix having a radial groove in each corner of its interior, a flexible yielding cover-support extending across the top of said matrix, a superimposed clamping-frame, a presser-frame, and means for operating said presser-frame.

3. In an npholstcring apparatus, the combination of a. matrix, a flexible yielding cover-support extending across the top of said matrix, means located in the corners of said matrix :for producing folds in said cover when forced into the matrix, a superimposed clamping-frame, a presser-frame, and means for operating the presser-frame.

el. In an upholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix, a presser-frame adapted to enter the same, means for operating the frame, and means located in the corners of said matrix for producing folds in an 'rniholstering cover when forced into the matrix by said presser-frame.

5. In an npholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix provided at its corners with interior radiating grooves, a presserframe adapted to enter the same, and means for operating the presser-frame, said grooves being adapted to produce folds in the upholstering-cover when the latter is forced into the matrix by said presserframe. f

6. In an upholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix having a radial groove in each corner of its interior, a flexible pad covering the same extending to each side thereof, flexible elastic strips extending across the top of said matrix and connected thereto, a superimposed clamping-frame, a presser-frame, and means for operating said presser-frame.

7. In an upholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix having a. radial groove in each corner of its interior, a flexible pad covering the same and extending to cach side thereof, a flexible yielding upholsteringcover support disposed above the matrix and open at points above the said radial grooves, a superimposed clamping-frame, a presser-frame, and means for operating the presser-frame.

8. In an upholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix having a radial groove in each corner of its interior, a flexible yielding upholstering-cover support disposed above the matrix and open at points above said radial grooves, a superimposed clamping-frame, a presser-frame, and means for operating the presser-frame.

.9. In an npholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix having a radial groove in each corner of its interior, a flexible yielding upholstering-cover support disposed above the matrix and open at points above said radial grooves, a presser-frame, and means for operating the presser-frame.

10. In an upholstering apparatus, flexible yielding strips extended across the top of said matrix and connected thereto, aps secured at one edge to the matrix and extending over and upon said flexible yielding strips, a presser-frame, and means for operating the presser-frame.

11. In an upholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix, a flexible yielding upholstering-cover support disposed thereover, independent flaps yieldingly connected to the sides of the matrix and extending over and supported by said flexible yielding support, a presser-frame, and means for operating the presser-frame.

12. In an upholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix provided at its corners With internal fold producing grooves, independent flaps flexibly connected to the edges of the matrix and having their adjacent edges coincident with and above the grooves, said flaps being adapted to support an upholstering-cover, a presserframe adapted to enter the matrix, and means for operating the presser-frame.

13. In an upholstering apparatus, the combination of a matrix provided at its corners With internal fold producing grooves, iexible yielding strips disposed above and across the matrix and connected to the sides of the same, flaps hinged to the sides of the matrix and independent of each other and having their adjacent edges forming spaces above openings formed between the yielding strips, a presser-frame adapted to enter the matrix, and means for Operate ing the presser-frame. l0

Signed by me this 17th day of August,

EDMUND E. PECK.

Gopiesr of this patent maybe obtained for' ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

